We have recovered new fossil records that provide critical evidence of plant evolution in the Hengduan Mountains. Five Neogene floras were studied in detail and several well-preserved new fossil species were reported, e.g. Pinus prekesiya, Drynaria callispora and Sambucus areolatesemen (see publication list ).

2. Neogene Paleoclimatology

Our lab group has been leading the way in quantitatively reconstructing the paleoclimates of Yunnan Province, and this has led to a new hypothesis about the evolution of the eastern Asian monsoon.

3. Theoretical Paleoclimatology

We have been at the forefront of developing new models that have been instrumental in improving the accuracy of quantitative paleoclimate reconstruction. On the basis of leaf margin data from more than 50 mesic forests across China, we constructed two new paleoclimate reconstruction models - Chinese Leaf Margin Analysis and PhysgAsia1.

4. International Reputation

Our years of diligent research effort in this field have earned our team a high international reputation, illustratedby:

(1). Our papers are mostly published in top journals in paleontology field such as: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology and Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology.

(2). Weco-supervise of four graduate studentswith Professor Roy Turkington from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Professor Liu Yusheng from East Tennessee State University, USA. We hosted a post doctor from France and numbers of international scholars have visited our lab.

(3) We gave o ral presentations at the International Botanical Congress (IBC) in Melbourne, 2011.

(4) We hosted the annual meeting of the Neogene Climate Evolution in Eurasia (NECLIME) in Kunming in 2010 and are convening a symposium of the IPC/IOPC 2012 conference (International Palynology and Palaeobotany Conference) in Japan next August.